Diabetes and Transcription Factors
The causes of beta-cell failure are not well understood, but we know there are changes in these cells’ gene expression that can yield clues about what is going wrong. Through the use of a variety of tissue-specific knockout and transgenic mice we hope to identify why beta cell failure occurs as well as ways to improve beta cell function and thereby treat human diabetes. We are currently focussing on a gene called ARNT, which is decreased by 90% in the beta cell containing islets of people with type 2 diabetes. It seems to be a master gene that controls other genes involved in beta-cell function, including glucose breakdown and insulin production. We are now looking at ways to control ARNT.
Staff
 Research OfficerDr Sue Mei Lau |
 Research OfficerNatasha Deters |
 Research AssistantKuan Minn Cha |
 Research AssistantRebecca Stokes |
 PhD StudentChristopher Scott |
 Research AssistantKenneth Ho |
 PhD StudentKim Cheng |
 PhD StudentChristian Girgis |
| Honorary Researcher Thyagaras Segaran |
News
Test Vitamin D levels in pregnant women say researchers
MEDIA RELEASE:
03 Apr 2011
Garvan clinical researchers have identified widespread Vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women as well as a very strong association between low Vitamin D levels and gestational diabetes. In a retrospective study of 147 women from a gestational diabetes clinic at Westmead Hospital, 41% were shown to be Vitamin D deficient.
How fatness gets forecast in the womb
MEDIA RELEASE:
28 Jan 2011
Children born of mums with gestational diabetes will tend to become fat, say Garvan scientists, and the worse mum’s sugar levels during pregnancy, the fatter they will be.
Garvan Scientists acknowledged on World Diabetes Day
14 Nov 2010
Garvan diabetes research has been recognised by the Diabetes Australia Research Trust, which announced that several Garvan scientists would be receiving significant research support over the coming two years.
